What is the CommanderinChief's Trophy? ArmyNavyAir Force rivalry explained John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORKOctober 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM 0 Week 6 of the college football season brings the first leg of one of the sport's most distinct rivalry trophies: the CommanderinChief's Trophy.
- - What is the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy? Army-Navy-Air Force rivalry explained
John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORKOctober 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM
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Week 6 of the college football season brings the first leg of one of the sport's most distinct rivalry trophies: the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
The race to the 2025 Commander-in-Chief's Trophy begins on Saturday, Oct. 4 when Air Force travels to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland to face undefeated Navy.
The Midshipmen are looking to start their mission of winning back-to-back Commander-in-Chief's Trophies for the first time since 2012 and 2013, as Blake Horvath led Navy to its first outright Commander-in-Chief's Trophy since 2019 last year with a win in the Army-Navy Game.
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This season marks the 53rd year that the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy will be played for by the three military academies, though the three schools have played against each other longer than that. Both Navy and Air Force will play Army later in the season to finish out the annual three-game round robin series.
Here's what to know about the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy:
What is the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy?
The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is the crown jewel trophy among the three military academies: Army, Navy and Air Force. It is presented annually to the military academy that wins the in-season rivalry series against the other two.
The trophy, which is named for the President of the United States, was first awarded in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, and was spearheaded by former Air Force athletic director Gen. George B. Simler.
But why is Air Force an important catalyst behind the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, when it is the youngest military academy in the country, as it didn't open until 1955 during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower in Colorado Springs, Colorado?
The answer to that is, the Commander-in-Chief trophy use originally used to create an annual series for Air Force between Army and Navy, as the round robin series between the three programs didn't start until 1972. Before the round robin started, the Falcons played Navy in even-numbered years and Army in odd-numbered years.
As for the trophy itself, it sits on a circular base and stands 2 1/2 feet high and weighs over 170 pounds. It's embellished with three silver footballs on the top of the cutout that features the years the trophy was won by that team. It also features figurines of the animal mascots of the respective schools: a falcon for Air Force, a ram for Navy and a mule for Army.
Here's a look at the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy from a post that Navy made following last year's Army-Navy win:
YOUR 2024 CIC CHAMPIONS!#FearTheBones | #GoNavy pic.twitter.com/3fzCKrWIVL
— Navy Football (@NavyFB) December 18, 2024
Who has the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy?
The Commander-in-Chief's trophy currently resides with Navy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Thanks to a 31-13 commanding win last December in the annual Army-Navy Game, the Midshipmen swept the three-game round robin series last season to claim the Commander-in-Chief's trophy for the 17th time in program history. Navy beat Air Force 34-7 in Colorado Springs last season.
Since the Midshipmen won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy last, Army earned a trip to the White House in the spring.
"We are humbled and grateful to be here. The highest honor and most important tangible goal in our program is to stand here in the White House with our Commander in Chief," Navy coach Brian Newberry said in April when the Midshipmen visited the White House.
However, if Army had won the Army-Navy Game last year, the trophy would have stayed with the Black Knights and none of the three military academies would have received an invite to the White House. The reason the trophy would have stayed with Army in this instance is that the Black Knights and Midshipmen would have split the season series 1-1 against each other.
"It's a great honor to officially present the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy to the 2024 Navy Midshipmen football team. With the win, this trophy, you secure your spot as one of the greatest teams in Navy football history." –President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 @USNavy @NavyFB pic.twitter.com/MomImXyqdP
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 15, 2025
Commander-in-Chief's Trophy winners
Navy's Commander-in-Chief's Trophy win last season moved the Midshipmen five trophies closer to Air Force's leading 21 Commander-in-Chief's Trophies. Army ranks third among the military academies with just 10.
The Midshipmen had a ton of success in the mid-2000s in the rivalry series, as the Navy won seven consecutive Commander-in-Chief's Trophies from 2003 through 2009. The Midshipmen's seven-game win streak is the longest win streak among the three academies. The Air Force had a six-game win streak from 1997 through 2002 and a four-game win streak from 1989 through 1992.
Here's a look at the winner of every Commander-in-Chief's Trophy since it was first handed out in 1972:
Air Force: 21 (1982-83, 1985, 1987, 1989-92, 1994-95, 1997-2002, 2010-11, 2014, 2016 and 2022)
Navy: 17 (1973, 1975, 1978-79, 1981, 2003-09, 2012-13, 2015, 2019 and 2024)
Army: 10 (1972, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1996, 2017-18 and 2022-23)
Of the five times that the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy was not handed out to one of the three military academies, as a result of ties in the three-game round robin series, Navy has retained it the most at three.
Here is a full list of when the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy was retained and by who:
1974: Retained by Navy
1976: Retained by Navy
1980: Retained by Navy
1993: Retained by Air Force
2021: Retained by Army
Commander-in-Chief's Trophy games 2025
Here's when the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy games are taking place in 2025:
Saturday, Oct. 4: Air Force at Navy | Noon ET | CBS
Saturday, Nov. 1: Army at Air Force | Noon ET | CBS
Saturday, Dec. 13: Army-Navy Game | 3 p.m. ET | CBS
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy? History, series record
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